Eagles Put Franchise Tag On Michael Vick

Does this move spell the end for Kevin Kolb?

The Philadelphia Eagles have announced Tuesday that they are placing their franchise tag on quarterback Michael Vick. The move will practically ensure the starting quarterback job for next season to Vick and earn him around $20 million dollars, which is roughly what the top 5 at his position is making. That’s a fairly large raise over the $5 million he made this season, a season that saw the once troubled star return to his previous form and lead the Eagles to the playoffs.

With Vick getting tagged, this opens the door to a potential trade of the Eagles other quality quarterback, Kevin Kolb. Kolb, once considered the heir apparent to Donovan McNabb, is a highly talented young quarterback that will spark a ton of interest leading up to the draft but has been somewhat lost in the reemergence of Vick. He has made his intention clear since the end of the season that he wants to be a starter in the league next season, whether that’s with the Eagles or another team.

"I’ve always had a good relationship with the Eagles. I think they understand my situation, I think they see where I’m coming from," Kolb said. "And you guys know this, it’s not really in my makeup to go out there and cause a stink about things. That’s just not what I do. I try to be as professional as possible and see both sides. I truly believe that they’re going to try and do what’s best for myself and the team, and if that doesn’t work out, I obviously won’t be happy about it. But in my opinion, it won’t be their fault if it doesn’t work out. I think it’ll be because of the CBA not getting done. So if I get put in those shoes, just like I’ve done in the past and just like you have to do when you’re in this league, you just roll with the punches and you say ‘OK my turn is coming up.’

"You never know what’s gonna happen with Mike. We’ve talked about every week, he runs around a lot so you gotta be ready to play. You never know how the year can go. We learned that this year, so if it comes up that way, then I’ll go with it and make it work. But I obviously want to be starting somewhere and be number one."

With the upcoming draft being thin on potential franchise quarterbacks, it’s not beyond the realm of reasoning to see one of the top ten teams in the draft trade their pick for Kolb, who is as talented as any coming out but is more NFL ready.

One such destination could be the Arizona Cardinals who is very thin at the quarterback position since the retirement of Kurt Warner before the start of last season. What the Cardinals do have, however, is a top 5 receiver in Larry Fitzgerald who recently dropped Kolb’s name in a meeting with Cardinals ownership when asked what they should do about their quarterback situation. When asked about this, it was obvious Kolb was flattered and more than a little intrigued by the prospect of playing in Arizona.

"I mean, if he’s not the best, he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL, superstar," Kolb said. "For a guy like that to say something about me, it means a lot. And it’s awfully flattering, and I hope that if something happens, their name comes up."